Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Outside Jianghuai City, the sounds of battle shook the heavens, and the battlefield was like a furnace.

The Chu army's defensive formation had been struggling for nearly half an hour under the repeated harassment of the Scorpion Clan cavalry.

The twelve circular formations contracted into a tight defensive circle, with shields linked together like an iron wall and spears pointing outwards like a forest, but the soldiers' faces were already filled with exhaustion.

They fought from dawn yesterday until this morning, battling all night long, and their physical strength was already exhausted.

Even more terrifying is that the arrows are running out.

The archers' quivers were mostly empty, and many could only pick up the arrows scattered on the ground, or simply pull out the arrows stuck in their shields or corpses and re-string them.

These arrows often have damaged shafts, greatly reducing their range and power.

"Commander Xue, the arrows... are almost used up."

The captain in charge of logistics had a hoarse voice and his face was covered in soot and blood.

Xue Huaide stood on the makeshift command platform, his silver-white beard and hair flying wildly in the morning breeze.

This fierce general had reached his limit; his hand holding the command flag trembled slightly, but his eyes remained as sharp as an eagle's.

He looked eastward—there, the Tang army was resting on a gentle slope, and the golden "Tang" banner still fluttered in the wind.

"How much longer can we hold out?" Xue Huaide asked calmly.

“If the Scorpion Clan launches another full-scale attack…” the captain’s voice was hoarse: “at most… a quarter of an hour.”

A quarter of an hour.

Xue Huaide closed his eyes. The reinforcements promised by Consort Feng would still take another quarter of an hour.

But time on the battlefield often doesn't change according to human will.

At this moment——

On the gentle slope, the earth-shaking war drums suddenly resounded from the Tang army's ranks!

It wasn't a tentative drumbeat, but the thunderous sound of the entire army launching an attack!

Immediately afterwards, the golden dragon banner began to move, slowly pressing down towards the battlefield!

"Report——!"

A scout rode up on horseback to report, his voice trembling with fear: "The Tang army... the entire Tang army has been mobilized! Xue Che is personally leading over 40,000 troops, and they are charging towards our army!"

Xue Huaide suddenly opened his eyes.

The worst-case scenario has still occurred.

Li Shiming did not wait for the Scorpion Clan and the Chu Army to be mutually exhausted, but instead made his move at the moment when the Chu Army was most tired and in the most critical situation!

"The entire army is on alert!"

Xue Huaide roared hoarsely, his voice cracking from the exertion: "Adjust formation and prepare to meet the Tang army's charge! Tell the soldiers—reinforcements are coming, hold on for the last quarter of an hour!"

The order was quickly relayed, but despair was already evident on the faces of the Chu soldiers.

They were attacked from the front by 30,000 Scorpion Clan cavalry, and from behind by 40,000 main Tang troops.

They had less than 50,000 soldiers, their arrows were almost exhausted, and their strength was depleted.

How to fight this battle?

"Your Majesty..." Xue Huaide looked towards the central army, a look of worry flashing in his eyes.

At the central command post, Chu Ning had already mounted his horse.

He saw it more clearly than Xue Huaide—this charge by the Tang army was not a test, but a decisive battle.

Xue Che divided his 40,000-strong army into three echelons, forming a wedge formation, and charged straight at the center of the Chu army's defensive formation.

That was the weakest point in the entire formation, because the forces had been shifted to the flanks to deal with the harassment of the Scorpion Clan cavalry.

The Scorpion Clan cavalry also noticed the change in the battle situation.

"The Tang army has moved!"

Helian Hui's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he stood in the ranks: "Order the entire army—cease the harassment and assemble immediately! Once the Tang army breaks through the Chu army's formation, we will attack from the flank and annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

"Order!"

The Scorpion Clan cavalry began to rapidly assemble, and the three scattered groups regrouped into a massive cavalry force, lurking like hungry wolves at the edge of the battlefield, waiting for the moment their prey would collapse.

Besieged on two fronts, they are in dire straits.

Chu Ning took a deep breath and gripped the Shangfang Sword tightly.

He knew that the only way to survive at this moment was not to defend to the death, but to attack instead of defending!

"White Dragon Riders!" Chu Ning's voice boomed like thunder.

"Here!" the three thousand guards responded in unison.

Although their warhorses were exhausted and everyone was wounded, their eyes remained as firm as iron.

"Follow me—" Chu Ning pointed his sword at the Scorpion Clan cavalry that were gathering on the flank: "Charge!"

"Your Majesty, you mustn't!" Xue Dingshan exclaimed in shock, "You are of inestimable worth, how could you..."

"Now, there are no indestructible bodies, only warriors!"

Chu Ning interrupted him, pointing the black dragon flag forward: "The Tang army is about to charge. If our formation is attacked from both the front and the rear, it will surely collapse."

"The only way is to defeat one side of the enemy forces before the Tang army arrives!"

He paused, then his voice turned stern: "The Scorpion Clan cavalry have just assembled and their formation is not yet stable, making this the perfect opportunity."

"Xue Dingshan, you lead the central infantry and must hold off the Tang army's first charge! Just a quarter of an hour!"

Xue Dingshan gritted his teeth and clasped his hands tightly: "This humble general... obeys! As long as this humble general has a breath left, he will never let the Tang army cross the defensive line!"

"Alright!" Chu Ning said no more, spurred his horse around, and shouted, "White Dragon Cavalry—Charge!"

Three thousand white horses, like a silver torrent, launched a desperate charge towards the thirty thousand Scorpion Clan cavalry who were gathering!

This is just crazy.

Three thousand against thirty thousand, a weary army versus a well-rested and recharged force, or should they take the initiative and charge forward?

But that's exactly the kind of crazy energy Chu Ning wanted.

He wanted to disrupt Helian Hui's rhythm, disrupt the Scorpion Clan cavalry's assembly, buy Xue Huaide time to adjust his formation, buy Xue Dingshan time to organize his defense, and also buy... the reinforcements inside the city a final bit of time.

"Has Chu Ning gone mad?!"

Helian Hui, witnessing this scene from within his ranks, was first stunned, then burst into wild laughter: "Three thousand men dare to charge my thirty thousand troops? Fine! Since he's come to his death, I, the Khan, will grant his wish!"

"All troops, listen to my command—attack! Whoever captures Chu Ning alive will be appointed commander of ten thousand men, rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold, and given a hundred beautiful women!"

Driven by the hefty reward, the Scorpion Clan cavalry went completely berserk.

They no longer waited for the Tang army to attack first, but turned their horses around and charged head-on at the White Dragon Cavalry!

The two cavalry forces clashed violently on the plain.

Silver against black, spear against scimitar, discipline against savagery.

Chu Ning took the lead, his Shangfang sword moving like a dragon playing in the water, causing men and horses to fall wherever it went.

He specifically targeted the Scorpion Clan generals, each sword strike precise and ruthless.

The White Dragon Rider followed closely behind, using him as an arrowhead, and forcefully tore a gap in the Scorpion Clan cavalry formation.

But with only three thousand against thirty thousand, the disparity in troop strength was too great.

Although the White Dragon Cavalry was elite, their numbers were simply too small.

After charging into the enemy ranks, they were quickly divided and surrounded by an enemy force several times their size.

Every step forward came at a heavy price.

One after another, the white dragon riders fell, their silver armor stained red with blood, and their white horses lay in pools of blood.

"Protect His Majesty!" the captain of the personal guard roared, leading the last hundred guards to protect Chu Ning.

But the Scorpion Clan cavalry surged in like a tide, impossible to kill or eliminate completely.

Meanwhile, the Tang army's charge had already begun.

Xue Che personally led 40,000 Tang troops, like a moving mountain, and crashed hard into the Chu army's defensive formation.

This time, the Tang army changed its tactics.

Instead of attacking the front of the circular formation, they used massive battering rams to ram the joints of the formation, catapults to launch burning boulders, and a dense rain of arrows to cover the entire defensive perimeter.

Even more fatally, the Tang army used real siege equipment this time—the cloud ladder.

It wasn't used for attacking cities, but for scaling the shield walls of a circular formation!